'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Giannis Antetokounmpo was very careful about comparing himself with the late great Kobe Bryant. Antetokounmpo didn't want to bring any attention when mentioning Bryant's name. He understands the impact Bryant had on basketball, so he was very honest about his relationship with the late LA Lakers legend.
In an interview with Eric Nehm of The Athletic, "The Greek Freak" opened up about the similarities he had with Bryant. Antetokounmpo reckons they might have the same mindset at some level. He was very respectful when he talked about the "Black Mamba."
"I will never say this; I will never disrespect the name of the great Kobe," Antetokounmpo said. "I don't like mentioning him. I feel like he should be mentioned, should never be forgotten. But I don't like mentioning his name to bring attention to the conversation that we are about to have.
He continued:
"I wasn't close to him. I wasn't this with him or that with him. But I would say this, in some areas of his mindset, I think we're very similar."
Kobe Bryant's Mamba mentality lives on in the NBA. Giannis Antetokounmpo showed some of that mentality when he carried the Milwaukee Bucks to the championship in 2021.
However, even though Antetokounmpo's mentality is similar to Bryant's, the two-time MVP is often compared with another LA Lakers legend, Shaquille O'Neal. Antetokounmpo has often been described as the modern day Shaq. Like O'Neal, he's a dominant player in the paint and very agile for his size.
To read Giannis Antetokounmpo's entire interview with The Athletic, click here.
Giannis Antetokounmpo worked out with Kobe Bryant in the 2018 offseason
Giannis Antetokounmpo spent the summer of 2018 working out with Kobe Bryant. Antetokounmpo and Bryant may not have been close friends, but there was mutual respect between them. "The Greek Freak" took his offseason workout with Bryant very seriously.
In an interview with Jim Paschke before the 2018-19 season, Antetokounmpo said that he was three hours early to his workout with the "Black Mamba." It was an impressive feat considering Bryant's insane work ethic. However, it should be noted that Bryant was already retired at that point.
"Kobe is one of the greatest players to ever play the game," Antetokounmpo said. "I knew that I was going to learn a lot from him. I just wanted to take from him his thought process. Like what he thinks about the game. How he thinks the game?"
The Greek continued:
"I just wanted to show him that I am not here to mess around. I'm not here for no PR reasons, none of that. I'm here to get better, simple as that. I think he understands that, and that's why we both took that practice really, really serious. He was open about what he thinks about the game, what he thinks about me as a player and what he thinks about the Bucks."
The workout with Kobe Bryant paid off for Giannis Antetokounmpo. He took home the MVP award in 2019 and 2020 and went on to win his first NBA championship and NBA Finals MVP the next year.
